Home Office

Passports

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the average waiting time for (a) new passport applications and (b) passport renewals in each of the last four years.

James Brokenshire: We are unable to break the data down into first time applications and renewals, although we can provide the data broken down by straightforward and non-straightforward.The table below shows the average waiting time for straightforward and non-straightforward applications on an annual basis since 2010.   Average processing times in working days  Straightforward applications Non-straightforward applications20103.69.720114.19.720126.811.620133.87.9

Ministry of Defence

Islamic State

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the threat to the UK posed by IS.

James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Office. JTAC raised the threat level on 29 August from SUBSTANTIAL to SEVERE. That means that a terrorist attack is highly likely, but there is no intelligence to suggest that an attack is imminent. The increase in the threat level is related to developments in Syria and Iraq where terrorist groups are planning attacks against the West. Some of those plots are likely to involve foreign fighters who have travelled there from the UK and Europe to take part in those conflicts.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what investigations he has made into allegations of mis-selling relating to loans made under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme; and when such investigations were initiated.

Matthew Hancock: Delivery of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme is devolved to the participating lenders, all of which are subject to a continuous cycle of independent external audit to monitor their compliance in their operation of the scheme. Some of the larger lenders have supplemented this process with their own internal reviews. The British Business Bank will continue to monitor the findings of these exercises closely.The Department requires all lenders participating in the EFG scheme to give clear and accurate information to borrowers. In February 2014 BIS wrote to all lenders participating in the EFG scheme reiterating their operational responsibilities, including the way in which it is presented to their front line staff and customers.

Cane Sugar

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress has been made on ensuring that UK sugar cane refiners have improved access to cane sugar through free trade deals.

Matthew Hancock: Colombia, Peru, Panama and the region of Central America have recently negotiated access to the EU sugar market through their Free Trade Agreements.UK sugar cane refiners also benefit from duty free access to sugar imports from Least Developed Countries under the Everything But Arms Agreement (EBA) and the EU’s Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. From 2009 these agreements have increased the quantity of cane sugar which can be imported duty-free.EPA negotiations between the EU and Southern Africa were recently concluded and we expect this EPA to provide UK sugar cane refiners with improved access to cane sugar from Swaziland and South Africa. In addition, the recently negotiated EU-Fiji EPA should also allow UK firms to continue to buy duty-free Fijian cane sugar.

Innovation: China

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the Chinese government on innovation and entrepreneurship in the last three years.

Greg Clark: International collaboration on innovation is a priority for both the UK and Chinese Governments. It has therefore featured on the agenda of a large number of Ministerial and official level meetings with the Chinese Government and its agencies (including regular catch up meetings with the Chinese Embassy) over the last three years. Our Science and Innovation Network representatives in the Embassy in Beijing have also had frequent contact with the Chinese Ministry of Science & Technology on innovation issues at an official level.The high level meetings have been:-June 2011 (China) - UK China Joint Committee on Science & Innovation Collaboration (Chaired by UK & Chinese Science Ministers and attended by key UK and Chinese science and innovation stakeholders) and associated Innovation Dialogue.September 2011 (China) – BIS Permanent Secretary (Martin Donnelly) met with Minister Cao Jianlin, Vice Minister of Science & Technology.April 2012 (UK) – My Rt. Hon. Friend for Havant (David Willetts), the then Minister of State for Universities and Science met with Minister Wang Zhigang, Chinese Deputy Vice Minister of Science & Technology, as part of “People to People” meeting. Innovation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed.April 2012 (UK) - My Rt. Hon. Friend for Havant met with Minister Cao Jianlin, Chinese Vice Minister of Science & Technology – Minister Cao also attended a roundtable meeting with BIS officials and UK Innovation stakeholders to discuss potential collaboration.October 2012 (UK) – Chinese delegation of senior officials from Ministry of Science & Technology and associated agencies attended UK-China Innovation Dialogue meetings with BIS and UK innovation stakeholders and also visited key innovation sites.October 2013 (China) – UK Ministers (including my Rt. Hon. Friend for Havant) attended the Economic and Financial Dialogue meeting. My Rt. Hon. Friend for Havant met with Vice Minister Cao Jianlin, the National Development and Reform Commission and other science and innovation agencies to discuss potential collaboration.December 2013 (China) – My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister visited China for UK-China Summit. My Rt. Hon. Friend for Havant accompanied and had meetings with his opposite number Minister Wan Gang and signed an MOU on financing innovation (setting up a Joint Working Group). New UK-China science and innovation partnership scheme announced.March 2014 (UK) – UK China Joint Committee on Science & Innovation Collaboration (Chaired by UK & Chinese Science Ministers and attended by key UK and Chinese science and innovation stakeholders) and associated Innovation Dialogue. There were discussions on innovation policy and financing innovation and initial programmes were agreed for the new science and innovation partnership scheme.April 2014 (China) – My Rt. Hon. Friend for Havant was part of a delegation to “People to People” meeting. Presented to China's Vice Premier, Liu Yandong, on latest developments in science and innovation collaboration.June 2014 (UK) – UK China Summit. My Rt. Hon. Friend for Havant was part of the Prime Ministerial team at the summit. Presented on latest developments in science and innovation collaboration to the Chinese Premier and his team. Signed joint work plan on new initiatives under science and innovation partnership scheme.July 2014 (UK) - High-level delegation from China’s Development Research Centre of the State Council (DRC) met with My Rt. Hon. Friend for Havant to discuss UK policies on research and innovation.September 2014 (UK) – I was part of the Chancellor’s Ministerial team at the 6th UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue. There were wide ranging discussions which covered banking and finance, business, culture, infrastructure and cities and research and innovation.

Innovation: China

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to encourage greater cooperation between China and the UK on innovation.

Greg Clark: The UK cooperates with China on both policies to create the conditions for innovation and on building opportunities for UK and Chinese researchers and businesses to collaborate for mutual benefit. We aim to share our experience of developing an open, competitive, business driven innovation system with China which will ultimately make it easier for UK and Chinese partners to collaborate.Innovation has featured on the agenda of a large number of Ministerial and official level meetings with the Chinese Government and its agencies and there are a number of specific initiatives to support UK-China collaboration on innovation.

Skilled Workers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that graduates have the right skills for the jobs available.

Greg Clark: We have introduced the National Centre for Universities and Business, which covers future skill needs, work experience and graduate recruitment. It will support and encourage employers to work directly with universities and colleges to help with course design and delivery, provide placements and offer sponsorship for students.The Government has also introduced the Key Information Set for each UK first degree course to help students make better informed choice of courses and their future employment prospects. It includes comparable information on graduate destinations, employment rates, and salaries.Our Graduate Talent Pool programme has played a valuable role in stimulating the graduate internship market, helping graduates to gain relevant work experience and improving their employment prospects.

Business: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to support Leeds Business Week.

Greg Clark: I very much welcome this initiative in Leeds to promote local economic growth and local businesses. UKTI is supporting a session on the Export Network.

Apprentices: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprentices there were in Ashfield constituency in each of the last five years.

Nick Boles: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by parliamentary constituency is published in a supplementary table to a Statistical First Release (SFR):https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/324021/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls

Manufacturing Industries

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the UK manufacturing sector since 2010.

Matthew Hancock: The latest official figures for the second quarter of 2014 put manufacturing output at 2.1% above 2010 levels.Food and drink output was 5.5% above 2010 levels and output in the manufacture of transport equipment sector (chiefly automotive and aerospace) was 30.6% above 2010 levels. Productivity (labour output per hour) within transport equipment has also increased by 28.4% since 2010.Exports of manufactured goods are 10% higher than in 2010. Aerospace and automotive manufacturing performed very strongly with exports growing by just over 30% in real terms since 2010.

Foreign Companies: Russia

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many Russian-owned companies are currently located in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: As Companies House does not maintain statistics on Company ownership, it is unable to tell how many Russian owned companies are located in the UK.

Construction: Training

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the relationship between the construction industry and colleges in providing courses that meet the skills requirements of employers within the construction industry.

Nick Boles: The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) works with other stakeholders to set the skills priorities for the sector ensuring that vocational qualifications delivered by the further education sector and private training providers are fit for purpose and meet the needs of employers. It also collects labour market intelligence through the Construction Skills Network which helps identify trends in the demand for skills by occupation and region.The Government supports a demand led approach to skills, with employers at the centre of decisions. CITB is undertaking work to better understand the supply of skills and qualifications in the further and higher education sectors, and how this matches employer demand.

Families

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech of 15 August 2011 calling for a family test to be applied to all domestic policy, which policies of his Department have been so assessed to date.

Jo Swinson: On 18 August 2014 my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that the family test was being formalised as part of the impact assessment for all domestic policies. From October 2014, every new domestic policy will be examined for its impact on the family.